Nic Nat on hand to help out as West Coast’s newest recruit eyes ruck role

The three-time All-Australian was at the club for the start of pre-season training on Monday to meet Duff-Tytler and give the 18-year-old tips.

Duff-Tytler only chose football over basketball at the end of last year and has been busy studying some of the AFL’s finest big men to emulate the best parts of their game.

One player he’s kept a keen eye on in particular is Fremantle’s Luke Jackson, who has been dubbed the ‘Unicorn’ given his huge athletic profile and ability to play various roles across the ground.

Duff-Tytler, who impressed at the Draft Combine with top-10 finishes in the 20m sprint and 2km time trial, boasts similar traits.

“His versatility – he’s been playing midfield, ruck, forward, wherever he’s needed,” Duff-Tytler said of Jackson.

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“So if I can do something like that, it’d be pretty good.

“Luke Jackson and Tom De Koning, you just try and pull things out of their game that you can put into yours, as well as Riley Thilthorpe.

“It’s not really one person that you want to play exactly like. It’s more just multiple players, and you try and pull what you can out of their game and stuff that you need to work on, strengths that you share and stuff.”

Duff-Tytler said it was a thrill to work with Naitanui.

“Watching him as a kid, he was always pretty amazing,” he said.

“He’s one of those players that you buy a ticket to sit and watch, because he can do some crazy stuff on the field.”

Duursma becomes the fourth sibling to make it into the big time, following older brothers Xavier (Port Adelaide/Essendon) and Zane (North Melbourne), as well as sister Yasmin, who plays AFLW with Carlton.

As for the family’s secret to success?

“Oh, probably the tank water,” joked Duursma, who hails from Foster in the Gippsland region of Victoria.

“Nah, it’s probably more just a little bit of skill, and a lot of dedication and hard work.”

AAP